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This randomised controlled trial investigated whether a 12-week multimodal exercise programme combining Baduanjin — a traditional Chinese Qi Gong practice — with resistance-band training could improve muscle health and physical function in older adults diagnosed with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). Eighty adults aged 60 to 84 years were divided equally into four groups: a Baduanjin-only group, a resistance-band training group, a combined multimodal exercise group, and a control group that did not exercise. Each exercise group performed 30-minute sessions five times per week over 12 weeks. Sixty-five participants completed the follow-up assessments.
The primary outcomes measured were gait speed and performance on the Short Physical Performance Battery, a standardised test of lower-body function. All exercise groups showed improvements in Short Physical Performance Battery scores, while gait speed improved most notably in the combined multimodal exercise group. The control group showed a decline in gait speed over the study period. Regarding secondary outcomes, the combined group and the resistance-band group both increased appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (a measure of muscle mass relative to body size), and the combined group also showed within-group gains in maximum grip strength. Exploratory findings suggested the combined programme may offer greater lower-limb muscle gains than Baduanjin alone.
The authors caution that the sample size was modest, the study duration was short, and body composition measurement methods had limitations, calling for larger and longer trials.
Conclusion: A 12-week programme combining Baduanjin Qi Gong with resistance-band training appears to be a feasible and beneficial community-based strategy for improving physical performance and muscle health in older adults with sarcopenia.
Source: Hao H, Deng Q, Jiang T and colleagues. Complementary therapies in medicine (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42685803) · doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2026.103431